


Like and Subscribe

by thefuckistevvs



Series: Instagram AU [2]
Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Car Accidents, Drabble Collection, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentions of Death, Slow Burn, instagram au, will tag as I go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-24
Packaged: 2021-03-25 13:28:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30089811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thefuckistevvs/pseuds/thefuckistevvs
Summary: Hermes is a Instagram and Youtube InfluencerCharon is a ASMR youtuber---Drabble collection for the Instagram Alternate Universe
Relationships: Charon/Hermes (Hades Video Game)
Series: Instagram AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2211141
Comments: 9
Kudos: 84





	1. Table of Contents

Hello! 

If you're new here, this is a series of drabble collections for the Instagram AU universe- the one where Hermes is a food delivery boy and an Internet Influencer, while Charon is an accountant with an ASMR channel.

This is the fic: <https://archiveofourown.org/works/29552952/chapters/72626946>  
I decided to "finish" the main fic, because I have like wayyy too many ideas for this universe that dont really fit in a normal fic. If i was to continue the other fic and just add chapters it would be a convoluted mess lmao, not to mention that this way I can just write them as I want with no specific order, adding the order later as I slowly write fics.

So! Yeah, I decided to make this a series of drabbles rather than a fic itself. This first chapter is a table of contents, which I'll edit and add as there are more chapters and the like. 

Thank you for reading! I hope you guys enjoy it <3333

[Charon and Hermes Height chart](https://twitter.com/thefuckistevvs/status/1368476634932781058)  
  
  
**TABLE OF CONTENTS:**  
  
1\. Table of Contents  
2\. The Helmet  
3\. The Slime   
4\. The Plaque  
5\. The Restaurant  
6\. The Training   
7\. The Red light **NEW**  
8\. The Cyclist **NEW**  
9\. The Question **NEW**  


Will be adding tags as I write these, though If there is something too Heavy I'll add the warning on the respective chapters.  
Thank y'all!


	2. The Helmet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermes buys a new bicycle helmet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hermes FINALLY buys a new helmet and Charon tags along.
> 
> Hope you like it!

Charon waited patiently just outside of the bicycle shop, finishing up the last bit of his cigarette. The doors that lead to the store had a big “NO SMOKING ALLOWED” sign, forcing Charon to smoke outside while he waited for Hermes to arrive. 

Even though Thanatos had informed Hermes how dangerous it was to go around with a faulty helmet, the man didn’t bother buying a new one until now, asking Charon to come with. Not to pay for it (despite Charon’s insistence), but to just hang out. 

Charon accepted eagerly, showing up outside their meeting place about ten minutes before the agreed time.   
The sun was already starting to set slowly in the horizon, forcing the street lights to come to life. It was a weekday, so they scheduled it after Charon was done with work, offering Hypnos to tag along.

His brother refused, however, claiming he didn’t want to be the third wheel on his date. 

[It’s not a date,] Charon signed as he drove Hypnos home. 

“Uh huh. Sure, buddy.” Hypnos smiled, not even looking at Charon.

He hadn’t told his brothers about the kiss. Not yet, anyways- what if things didn’t work out after all? What if after hanging out with Hermes, they both realized they weren’t good for each other?  
Charon didn’t want to be fatalist, but that’s something that could always happen when you entered a relationship. Anything could happen.

Charon sighed, throwing his cigarette on the ashtray on top of the garbage can next to him. 

“Hey, boss! Hope I didn’t make you wait too long!”

Hermes basically ran towards him, a messenger bag hanging from his right shoulder. It was still bizarre to see him not wearing thighs and vests, instead wearing blue denim jeans, a red shirt with the print of a bird on the front and a denim jacket on top of it. His beautiful scarf looped around his neck, dragging behind him in the air as he ran. 

[Just got here five minutes ago] Charon replied, smiling gently as Hermes approached him.

“Well, I always arrive five minutes earlier, seems like I’ll have to arrive ten minutes earlier to beat you then, eh?” Hermes smiled, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he stared up at Charon.

[Then I’ll arrive fifteen minutes earlier]

Hermes laughed loudly, shaking his head and forcing his earrings to jingle. He pointed his chin to the doors of the store, grinning as he did so. “Shall we?”

The store was well lit, bright white lights illuminating the bicycles that were on the selling floor. It smelled of cleaning product, the tiles making Hermes’ shoes squeak as they stepped inside. Different types of bicycles of many sizes and colors were being shown along with their price tags, they all looked very similar to Charon, though Hermes immediately leaned over and examined these as if they were works of art. 

“See, this one is good for trails, mountain roads and the like. You can see it from the frame. Though if you only are going to use your bike on the city and on normal roads, it’s better to get this other kind,” Hermes explained as he pointed at bicycles that, honestly, all looked the same to Charon. “Many people don’t know that depending on what you want is what you have to buy, so they just buy what looks prettier or is more expensive, thinking the more expensive the better.”

Charon nodded, listening intently. He didn’t know much about any of this, but Hermes clearly did and it was a joy to hear him explain these things to him. 

A saleswoman approached, her hair bright green and with piercings on her face. “Good evening! Would you like to see any model in specific?”

“Oh no, it’s alright. Just looking- I’m actually looking for a bicycle helmet?”

“Right this way, gentlemen!”

The woman led them to a section on the wall that was plastered with bicycle helmets, all of different shapes and colors. It looked like a modernist painting, the different prints and colors on the wall mixing into a painting from afar.

Hermes looked at them intently, one hand on his chin and the other one on his hip as he examined the wall of helmets.

“I think I’ll get the same brand I got last time. I mean, it clearly worked, didn’t it?” He chuckled.

Charon didn’t really like the idea of Hermes laughing off what happened to him, still feeling shreds of guilt over the incident, but the young man didn’t seem to have any ill will towards him. 

“Oh hey! This is exactly like my old one!” Hermes pointed at one of the helmets that hung from the wall, an exact copy of Hermes’ original helmet, a red color base with orange and yellow glitter that made it sparkle those colors under the lights, making it look like it was on fire. 

Charon thought Hermes would just buy that one, but the young man had it on his hands and frowned, a little. 

“Maybe it’s time to change it up a little?” He said to no one in particular, helmet still in his hands as he looked up to the other helmets up on the wall. “You know, use this as an excuse to get a new different one, etcetera.” 

Hermes paced around in front of the wall, eyes going up and down each one of the helmets. He picked a couple of them up, examining them and placing them back to their place. He repeated the process a couple of more times, until his eyes lit up and grabbed a specific helmet off the rack.

“Hey!” he turned it around in his hands, eyes lit up as he saw the paint. It seemed to be the same brand as his old one, but the paint job was different from the other helmet. “You think this looks cool?”

The front of the helmet was a red color, as it went on the color faded from red to a purple-ish maroon color at the back. A mixture of red and purple that transitioned rather nicely. 

Charon nodded, liking the color. It was different from his old one, but it was nice.

Hermes stepped in front of one of the mirrors, both helmets on his hands as he examined how they looked against his clothes and skin, not putting them on for hygienic purposes. “Hmm, yeah. Yeah, I like it!”

He quickly placed the first one he picked up back on its rack, helmet now dancing on his hand as he looked up at Charon. “I’m pretty much done here, you want anything from here, boss?” He smiled, knowing Charon knew nothing about bicycles.

[Too tall for a bicycle. Throws me off balance] he joked. He hadn’t ridden one ever since he was a teenager, and he was already pretty tall back then. He looked like a light pole on wheels, it surely would even be more awkward now. 

Hermes chuckled as they made their way towards the counter. “You would need a big bicycle, I think.”

Charon was ready to pull out his wallet, but Hermes nudged his arm slightly, catching his attention. The man could predict easily what Charon was about to do even before he procured his wallet, and shook his head.

“Seriously, it’s fine. You don’t need to pay for it.”

Charon sighed softly, nodding. Despite believing it was his responsibility to pay for it, Charon respected Hermes boundaries. If he didn’t want him to pay, then he wouldn’t pay. 

Hermes paid and shoved his new helmet inside his messenger back on the way out of the store. The sun had finished setting while they were inside shopping, all the street lights now illuminating their surroundings. 

“Well, that’s that!” Hermes says, suddenly shuffling in place. “Do you… want to do something else?”

It was still early, and he didn’t want this to end just yet. He nodded at Hermes, his body relaxing the tension away. 

“Let’s walk around, no?”

Charon rarely walked around the city. It was normally too busy, too many people just wandering around and bumping into him. Uncomfortable.

But the city was calm today. Hermes took them through paths and sidewalks that didn’t have too many people in it, enjoying the chilly air of the night. 

Their trek eventually led them to the park. They sat down in one of the benches that was directly underneath one of the park lights, illuminating them both as they stared at the full moon. 

“How did Hypnos react when you told them about you kicking out those guys out of your office?”

[He laughed, said he wished he could have seen that]

“Well! You can tell him that I, as someone who saw it, was very amused by that.” 

Hermes dug out the helmet he had just bought, digging on his bag for something else as well. He took out a sticker of a cartoonish pair of wings, examining it as he figured where to put it on his helmet.

Charon had noticed that said pair of wings were also on Hermes’ phone case. He pointed at the sticker with one hand, tilting his head. 

“The sticker? Ah- it’s like my Icon, you know.” He turned the sticker between his index and thumb, rotating it. “This is also my internet icon, you know?”

He looked at it, bringing it down a little.

[Wings are your thing, right?]

“It’s… freedom, you know? Being able to fly away. I dont plaster it everywhere because it’s my internet icon, or whatever. I made it my icon, because I like what they represent.” He opened his arms wide, looking up at the sky. “Freedom! Flying away! Just taking your life and doing what you want with it. Everytime I run it feels like I am flying. Riding my bicycle feels similar, but nothing beats the way your heart pumps when you run, feeling the ground beneath your feet. Don’t you agree?”

[I wouldn’t know. I don’t run.] He chuckled. [I don’t do too well at that.]

“Aw, boss. It’s a matter of practice.” He said, but then Hermes chuckled a little. “Well, many people dislike it, I suppose I am one of the minorities.”

[Freedom sounds good, though] He continued Hermes’ previous line of thought. 

“Yeah. Like… don’t you ever want to feel free?”

[Of what?]

“You know… Free! Free of family expectations, free of this box they put you in. Just taking your life and doing what you want to do with it, screw what everybody thinks you should be.”

Hermes, blinks a little, turning to face Charon. “Sorry- I shouldn’t project so much into you, heh?”

Charon took out a cigarette, lighting it on and placing it on his lips, thinking about what Hermes said. 

[I understand]

“Hm?”

[Free of expectations, I understand.]

Hermes tilted his head, looking at Charon expectantly. He took a long drag of his cigarette, blowing it between his teeth.

[My mother- she wanted me to inherit her company, or at least work for it. I said no. Built up from the ground up. Wanted no support from her.]

“She didn’t help you at all?”

[Offered. Declined. Don’t want people to think I got there with help.] He took another long drag. [Wanted to make sure I could do it myself.]

“Ah,” Hermes leaned on the bench, helmet sitting on his thighs. “Didn’t expect accounting to be a free decision for you, then. That’s good, I think. I guess you didn’t want to wonder down the line if what you have is because you really earned it, or if because it was given to you. I think I kind of understand.”

It was now Charon’s turn to look at him. 

“I always wondered if my good grades and the raving reviews I had at the other jobs I had before coming here were because of my father’s influence. Dad… he is a big name, you know? You are really tied down to it. An Olympian- one of Zeus’ kids. Every good grade, every time someone told me I worked good. I… always wondered if it was true, or just because of dad.” He sighs. “Doesn’t feel good.”

Charon listened, intently. Hermes’ thumb caressed on the little sticker as he stared off the distance. “It’s the reason I’m here. Well- one of the reasons, you know! Had to get out of home. Just, somewhere where people didn’t know about me. That’s also why it feels good to be an influencer and the like, you know? People know me for me, not because of dad. That comes with its own issues, though.”

Hermes’ eyebrows arched a little, biting his lip in embarrassment. “Sorry- I went off a tangent, heh. If I ever talk too much, you got permission to shut me up.” 

[Why would I ever do that?] Charon asks, puzzled.

“I mean- I talk too much, boss. I know I'm annoying.”

Charon shook his head. [You are fine. You are not annoying me at all]

“Oh.” Hermes said, all of sudden. He didn’t smile but he didn’t seem upset, just a strange realization reaching him. “Okay then.”

They sat on the bench for a while while Charon finished his cigarette. They saw people jogging down the park with their earbuds, couples walking around holding hands. Hermes placed the little sticker on the helmet, pressing on it with his thumb to make sure there were no air pockets left in it, silent for a moment but picking up shortly after, talking about the different kinds of trees that were in the park. 

Charon listened intently, not missing a word. Everytime Hermes apologized for hogging the conversation, Charon assured him it was fine. He didn’t mind. He liked the sound of his voice.

Hermes blushed, nodding as he kept going.

The crickets chirped around them as Hermes’ words filled the air.


	3. The Slime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charon and Hermes make Slime

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some time ago i got super into slime for some reason, i never actually made or bought it but i sure did watch a lot of videos about it!
> 
> anyways enjoy lmao

[You]: Do you know how to make slime?

It was a ridiculous question, the silliness of it all hitting him as soon as he sent the message. Almost immediately, three dots danced on the screen before he got his reply.

[Hermes]: damn boss ur flirt game is insane ;)

Charon rolled his eyes just slightly, texting with one hand as he leaned on the island of his kitchen. Before he could write out a reply, careful of not making any typos, Hermes replied back.

[Hermes]: like, slime slime? Ghostbusters slime? 

[Hermes]: oh

[Hermes]: is this for asmr?

This was very silly. Charon had half a mint to tell Hermes to forget it, already dreading the man’s reaction of Charon wanting to play with slime not unlike a toddler. But he was already too deep in it, and he already knew Hermes’ nature- he would not let go of it until he got an answer from Charon. 

So, sighing and feeling very childish, he replied.

[You]: Yes

[You]: I saw some videos about them, and I wanted to try making my own. But I don’t know how

[Hermes]: aaaaaaaaa

[Hermes]: well boss i havent made any but i can help! Do u want me to drop by :0

[Charon]: I’ll pick you up. Need to buy supplies, too.

[Hermes]: hell yeah lets make some slime

Charon pocketed his phone, picking up the car keys.   
It would be a very, very silly day today.

* * *

“Alright boss, so what do you have in mind?”

After picking Hermes up from his apartment and a short drive to Staples, both men were walking inside the store, Hermes carrying a small basket to carry their purchases. His long scarf which normally just looped around his neck and cascaded without care was styled in a reverse drape, trailing behind him as he walked. He looked down at his phone as he walked, somehow not tripping over himself. 

“I hope you don’t mind that I did a bit of research? Is there anything in particular you were thinking off? Butter slime, cloud slime, clear, crunchy…”

Charon scratched his chin, already overwhelmed by all the possibilities. Truth to be told, he didn’t research much into it, just watching one video on youtube and then being hyper fixated with that one in specific.   
That’s how he started doing ASMR videos, after all. He watched some videos, loved the idea and then started making them himself.

However, unlike crinkling paper or rubbing coins, he actually had to make the slime himself. Or, buy some on the internet, but Charon wasn’t too much of the idea of buying things you could make yourself. How difficult could it be, to make some slime? Children did it, all the time.

[What is the most simple one to make?] He asks, craning his neck to take a peek at Hermes’ phone. 

“This video here has a tutorial, hang on.”

They watched the video in itself, and it didn’t look too difficult to make. Glue, borax and food coloring, forming an easy slime.

“Maybe we can just start with this, and then we can just add whatever we want? Glitter and beads and stuff?”

That sounds like a good idea. Start from zero, then get adventurous. 

They immediately went for glue, and Charon expected that to be easy enough. However, his eyes were immediately assaulted by the assorted colors that were stocked on the shelves. He didn’t know that glue came in more colors other than white, but in front of him there were all the colors of the rainbow in different hues, glitter sparkling from inside their containers.

“Whoa. Didn’t expect there to be so many colors.”

Charon cocked his head, eyeing intently all the colors on the shelves.

“It’s probably because slime got really popular, kids wanted to make their own. There is even a slime making kit here!” Hermes pointed to a box on the bottom of the shelf, which had what he supposed were all the necessary materials to make slime. “Want to get one of these?”

Charon thought of it. It surely would be easier, but making it by himself already looked easy enough. Not to mention, there was a certain charm in doing things himself without the need for kits.

So he shook his head, instead grabbing two bottles of the white glue. 

“Maybe we can get a couple of other colors, just to experiment? You know, make more than just one?”

Charon liked the idea, nodding and basically giving permission to Hermes to grab more glue. They picked up an assortment of colors, orange, purple, clear, blue and red. 

The rest of their shopping trip was spent in buying glitter of different shapes, colors and sizes. They bought beads, too, It looked like they were going to make an art project for a child, and Charon expected Hermes to poke fun at him for the fact during the entire trip yet Hermes said nothing, instead he seemed excited to participate in the activity.

Having finished getting everything needed, Charon drove them back to his apartment, Hermes chatting up all the way through. He kept looking at slime tutorials on youtube, talking about all the things that people add to them.

“This one… oh jeez, this person put thumbtacks on their slime?”

Charon raised his eyebrow, glancing at Hermes. “For real! Look,”

He showed him his phone during a stoplight, and true enough this person added thumbtacks to their slime. Charon squinted at the phone, mouth twisting in a scowl as Hermes pulled his phone away. “Crazy, huh?”

Hermes continued to scroll down. “Some people add cute charms, and the like. Some of these are super elaborate.”

They reached his apartment, and as Charon parked, Hermes perked up, suddenly very aware of where he was.

“Oh, huh, I’ve never been to your apartment, boss!” He puts his phone away, looking around at the other cars parked around. “Fancy place, eh?”

Charon shrugged. It wasn’t the most expensive place in the city, but it surely wasn’t shabby. 

The elevator ride to his apartment was silent, but not uncomfortably so. Hermes had his hands in his pockets, looking around the lobby of the building and examining the elevator, reading the safety measurements, while Charon carried the grocery bag with all their purchases. 

Charon could feel a nervousness emanating from Hermes, even if the smaller man kept smiling all the way. Something about his step, the way he carried himself. Charon wondered why this could be, was he anxious for being at Charon’s apartment?

It’s not like they haven’t kissed before. This felt like just a natural progression of things.

Ah, yes. Making Slime. The next step in a relationship. 

Still, the prospect of bringing Hermes home was… a little nerve wracking, now that he thought about it. Even if it was just a friendly outing, nothing but making silly crafts, he still was inviting the man into his personal space, where no one sans his brothers had been before.

Now it was Charon’s turn to feel a little anxious.

The elevator reached its destination at the top floor. They both shuffled outside, Hermes following Charon around as they reached his apartment door.   
His apartment was the same as he had left it, and he held the door open for Hermes to slip through. 

Hermes smiled rather anxiously, yet not coming in. “May I come in?”

Charon nodded, quite silly that Hermes asked. It’s not like he was going to leave the man outside after their entire trek, but still Hermes felt anxious enough to ask, so he humored him.   
Hermes slipped inside, looking around at Charon’s walls while he deposited their things on the kitchen counter. 

“Whoa, Charon, this is…” He looked around, eyes burrowing and smiling silly. “This is a minimalistic nightmare. No offense.”

Charon sighed. His brothers had said the exact same thing about his apartment.   
The walls were white and black, with purple accents here and there. Most of Charon’s furniture was white as well, and the decorations were art pieces that he had liked and purchased. 

“It kind of looks like out of a magazine,” Hermes says, standing just in front of one of the paintings that hung from the wall. “I mean, it is very beautiful! Just not my style.”

Charon wondered what Hermes’ style was. Probably more vibrant, not unlike the scarf and chuck taylors he was currently wearing. 

“Okay then! Do we start here at the kitchen, or do we use your work table? I’ve seen your videos, and your video setup looks pretty good.” Hermes smiles immediately. “I mean- I think. I don’t know much about these kinds of things, to be honest.” 

[Let’s use my work table.] 

He guides Hermes to the small office. [And my setup is the best]

“Well, I’ll have to take your word for it, associate. I am an amateour at these things.”

Charon used his office to work from home, a desktop computer sitting in one of the tables, as well as a space for his work laptop. It was furbished like a regular office to work from, but in one of the walls sat a table that had his ASMR work table.

His camera was already mounted on it at the perfect angle. A ring light was positioned beside it, turned off at the moment, along with a microphone that was pointed just at the right level.   
Charon had worked hours to get his table just the way he wanted it to be like, and he left it as such. No reason to change what was perfect to him.

The wooden table all these gadgets pointed to was a regular table, if anything a little scrapped from previous use. Charon wouldn’t mind if glue or dye got in it while they worked. 

“Gotta say, boss. You got a proper thing here.” Hermes leaned over the table to examine it, careful to not touch any of the items lest he moves them out of place. “You going to film yourself making these?”

[Not yet. Let’s make one first]

They propped up Hermes’ cellphone on the table, the tutorial they had seen earlier that day playing on the device. Charon had carefully poured the white glue on a bowl, meanwhile Hermes stirred the borax together with the warm water on the cup, careful to not spill it over with his over excited mixing. 

“Okay, what’s next, slime lady?” Hermes says as he plays the video again to look at the next step.

Charon carefully poured food coloring on the mixture. Some drops of light blue, before he started stirring again.

“Careful, careful,” Hermes whispered to himself as he slowly poured the borax mixture in while Charon mixed with a spatula. Charon’s eyes were fixated on Hermes hands as they shook a little, careful to not drop too much liquid on the glue. 

The mixture was still too sticky. Hermes looked at Charon in the eyes, who nodded softly to indicate Hermes to keep pouring down the liquid. 

That way, slowly pouring and mixing, at the end they ended up with something that could be classified as slime.   
Hermes carefully placed the rest of the borax away, as he stared down at the slime forming on Charon’s hands. 

“Would you look at that! It actually worked!” He said, as he poked at the putty with his index finger, leaving an indent on it. 

It was a light blue color, and it felt pretty good on the fingers. Charon pulled at it, playing with it the same way he had seen other youtubers do. 

He handed it to Hermes, who started playing with it as well. “Haha, hell yeah! This is great. Nice work, boss.”

Charon can’t help but smile, too.

[Do we make another?]

Hermes' smile split his face.

“Yeah! Let’s use some of that color glue, too. Oh, we can use glitter too!”

The second slime they made looked much better than the first one, beads and glitter being dumped into the mixture while Charon mixed it. Hermes basically kept pouring things in it, completely overexcited. 

It ended up an orange color with red and yellow glitter that shines under the lights of his setup. It had beads of the same color too, giving it a different texture from the first one they made. 

Their subsequent attempts were not as successful, however.

Their third one, they accidentally used too much borax which led them with a strange green lump that felt weird on the hands. Their fourth attempt had the texture of chewed up old bubblegum, apt since it was a pinkish color. 

“I think you can fix these,” Hermes said as he poked their two failed attempts. “There are videos on how to do it…”

Charon sighed, they had already run out of borax, since they used the one he already had at his home rather than buying a new box. He would have to do that later, or just toss them on the garbage. The idea of throwing them away after he and Hermes worked on them was… unpleasant, however. 

[Let’s clean up] Charon signed, standing up and stretching his back. The table was covered in glitter stray drops of glue. 

“Yeah! I’ll-”

Hermes stands up as well, not realizing that one of the ends of his scarf had settled itself on top of one of the open bags of glitter. Standing up, he dragged it to the floor, making a mess of glitter on the white tiles.

Yellow glitter spread around like water around them, the light breeze on the room already helping in making a mess.

“Oh shit! I’m so sorry-” He tugs his scarf to make sure he won’t make any more messes, kneeling on the floor in a futile attempt to scoop up all the glitter. “Shit, shit, shit- I made a mess-”

[Don’t worry about it,] Charon taps the table to get Hermes attention, then goes to get the broom and dustpan, though he suspected it wouldn’t be enough to get rid of them.

Returning to the office, there was even more of a mess as the fan above them kept spreading out the glitter. Huffing, Charon turned it off as he made strides and started to sweep in an attempt to stop the spread. Hermes stood up, anxiously fidgeting with his hands. 

“Do you have another broom? I want to help.” 

[Utility closet. Next to the bathroom]. 

“Got it-” He starts walking away, but then stops suddenly.”Where is the bathroom…?”

[Door to your left]

“Gotcha!” He practically runs out of the room, returning quickly enough with another broom.

They tried to get rid of all the glitter, but it was too late. While they were able to scoop up most of it, some had hidden between the tiles, furniture and nooks and crannies they couldn’t reach. Their clothes and hair were covered in the stuff, too, making them look like they just got out of a child’s party.

“Well,” Hermes says, looking around as most of the glitter had been eliminated. “You’re gonna find glitter in the next ten years.”

He jokes, but there is no smile in his face. Hermes rubs his neck worriedly, clearly feely guilty about the whole affair. “Sorry again.”

[Things happen. It’s ok].

Hermes looks at him again, that strange way he always looked at Charon when he reassured the man the things he did were okay. The same way Hermes looked at him when Charon reassured him that no, he was not stupid or annoying. 

Almost as if he doubted him.

“Okay,” he smiles finally and honestly. Finally accepting Charon’s words. “Aw man, I’ll never be invited back here again, right? You’re gonna have to ‘Hermes proof’ this place.”

He chuckles, taking both brooms and putting them away along with the dustpan. 

“Two may be failures, but at least you got other two to use. You’re gonna make a video now?”

Charon thought about it. He wasn’t really expecting making a video right _now_ , especially since Hermes was around. And he wasn’t really thinking of kicking Hermes out just to make a video.

[Later]

“Awh, why?” Hermes asks, not because he wants to prod, but genuine interest. 

[I’m with you now]

Hermes flusters a little, cheeks going slightly pink. He blinked, shuffling on his feet and looking at his shoes.

“Aw, boss. That’s…” 

It's like something eats his words, like Hermes is unsure of what else to say. Charon lets him find his footing once more, waiting for him to speak again without any pressure.

“Do you… want to do something else?” 

[What do you want to do?] he asks. They had basically spent the entire day doing what Charon wanted, it was only fair to ask Hermes what he wanted to do now.

“Let's take a stroll, eh? Just walk around the neighborhood, maybe feed some pigeons. That would be nice.”

[That sounds nice]

Hermes smiles, and they make their way to the front door. He closed the door once they were outside, keys tight on his hold as he stopped for a second.

[Thanks]

“Huh? Sure boss, but why? I made a mess of your apartment.”

[Helping with the slime. It’s silly and childish.]

Hermes blinks, shoving his hands down the pockets of his jeans. “It’s not- it’s fun and interesting. I had fun.”

Charon is slightly surprised at that, but he felt like it was time for him to accept Hermes words without overthinking it too much. 

They rode down the elevator, leaving Charon’s apartment as the slimes they created rested on Charon’s work desk, glittering under the light that seeped from the window.


	4. The Plaque

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermes receives a package.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! this one is a short one, was gonna make this one longer but then i made that one the next chapter of these series, so check that out too!
> 
> Thank you for reading! Hope you like it!

The door to his apartment opened rather abruptly, swinging back to shut down once more until a stray foot forced it open once more. 

Hermes barged inside his home, using his foot to close the door once more, hands occupied with various packages he received on the mail.  
Some of those packages were sponsorships- earbuds, sneakers and personalized shampoo. Other packages were just things he bought that had arrived that day.

A singular package, however, was from youtube itself.

He placed all of his things on the kitchen counter, but his hands went for the rectangular box with the play button logo. With the help of a kitchen knife, he had to force himself to open the package up carefully lest he damage the contents. With what he wanted to think was surgical precision (it was not), he successfully opened the box and took out the contents. 

A silver plaque with youtube’s play button logo engraved on it, his channel name written on the bottom with white ink. 

Hermes had to admit, he was a little excited about it.

He propped it up on the counter, taking a picture of it on his phone. Hermes immediately sent it to Charon along with a caption.

[You]: Look at what i got in the mail :D

It wasn’t until he sent the message he realized it was eleven A.M. a weekday, Charon would be busy working. He didn’t mind, instead placing his phone down and already trying to figure out where to put his new plaque. 

He could put it on the wall behind his computer, where he could stare at it while he worked, or he could put it on the opposite wall. If he was to stream from his computer or take videos there, it would be on frame.  
But he rarely streamed from his computer or filmed himself there, the last time being after giving an explanation of what happened after the car accident. 

Maybe he could hang it somewhere else. In the meantime, he left it propped up on the kitchen counter, phone on his hands once more, propped up by his elbows and his left leg behind his right one, relaxed pose as he started to write a post on instagram, twitter and youtube. 

_Thank you so much for all the followers! I wouldn’t be here without you <3_

He posted the photograph, his phone vibrating in his hand as Charon sent him a reply back.

[Charon]: Nice

Hermes chuckled, biting his lower lip and typing an answer immediately. 

[You]: awe thank you

He was going to make a comment about how Charon helped, since his views skyrocketed due to the accident, but Hermes stopped himself. He didn’t mind what happened, but Charon obviously still felt really guilty about it. It wasn’t fair for him to keep bringing it up so much. 

Hermes already had a steady following before the accident, but the truth was that livestreaming the car accident pushed him into the public eye for a while, which did give him a final push to having 100,000 subscribers in youtube. One hundred thousand!  
Many left shortly after, having only followed him for the buzz of the drama, but far more stayed. People that liked his content and who decided to keep watching. 

Notifications of people replying to his post started to roll in, his phone vibrating eagerly in his hands. Honestly, Hermes was feeling pretty damn good about himself at the moment. 

He was already planning his next series of videos. The annual marathon was five months away, and Hermes had already signed himself up. Which meant, he would have to keep with a training schedule.  
Hermes already ran and worked out constantly, sure to keep his physique- but he had to make sure his stamina was appropriate for the marathon. His next video series would be focused on how to train, what to eat, and how to approach said event from zero. 

He was pretty excited. Even if he was unsure if it would be just the one video or a series, which meant he had to map his ideas even more.  
Maybe he could make multiple videos about his personal training, and one sole video for newbies. 

Details, details. He would eventually figure it out. In the meantime, Hermes danced on his feet as he saw a reply from Charon. 

[Charon]: Hypnos says congratulations. 

[You]: tell him i say thank you and hi!!! Hi hypnos!!!!

Energy pumped through Hermes, and he was feeling a little bold. His fingers typed quickly on the screen, the dopamine from all the notifications he was getting was riling him up. 

[You]: wanna go somewhere tonight? Maybe have dinner or something? ;)

[Charon]: Sorry, will have dinner with the twins. 

The excitement on his ribcage sank immediately, lips twitching at the sudden rejection.  
The very sudden but very real fear of Charon not enjoying his company appeared once again. What if Charon grew tired of Hermes? What if he realized just how annoying the man could really be?

Before his mind festered those thoughts, he got another reply.

[Charon]: Schedule tomorrow after work?

Hermes took a deep breath, said fears dissipating. 

[You]: ofc!! Have fun!!

Fears of abandonment having been successfully destroyed, Hermes instead went on to open the other packages he received- sponsorships from different companies expecting he would promote their products. 

Hermes looked at the clock, and it was already almost one in the afternoon by the time he was done unpacking and posting thankful messages in social media. He stood up, stretching a bit before he decided to spend the day working delivery. 

Peeling off his clothes, Hermes dressed himself up for the exercise between checking his phone notifications.  
Most of his comments were congratulating him, bringing a smile to his face. 

Loud music played in his room as he danced around, grabbing his workout gear between beats of the songs. It took him a while to get properly ready with all the distractions he created for himself but Hermes didn’t care, shaking his hips and twisting in place offbeat with the songs.

Finally, he finished dressing himself up, already having worked up a bit of a sweat by dancing around in front of no one. He grabbed his phone one more time to check on the messages, feeling narcissistic for reading the praises over and over again.

While his posts had plenty of people congratulating him, many other comments were the opposite- rude, insulting.

_”u only got clout cus u got ran over a car idiot lmao”_

_”did ppl really sub to u cus u got hit???? Fucking ppl do anything these days” ___

___”stfu no1 cares get run over again”_ _ _

___”this bitch cant even decide if he wants to be an influencer or a workout person lmaoooo just decide”_ _ _

__He frowned, a little. It didn’t bother him in the least- everyone got haters. It’s the internet. It’s what happens when you put yourself out there.  
Hermes didn’t care for these comments, they obviously wanted to rile him up. They wouldn’t get that, they were just meaningless, bored idiots with nothing else to do._ _

__He turned off notifications, grabbing his helmet and his food delivery backpack on the way out of his apartment. He paid no mind to the hateful comments that were piling up._ _

__They were not worth his time._ _


	5. The Restaurant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charon invites Hermes somewhere

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A direct continuation from last chapter, The Plaque!
> 
> Ty for reading aaaa hope you like it!!!

“Have a good night!” Hermes waved away, as he went down the stairs of the apartment building, having finished his last delivery.

After opening his sponsorships, Hermes decided to spend the day being a delivery boy. He preferred to do that early in the day and have the night free for himself to either go to the gym or lounge in his apartment, but having spent the entire morning posting on the internet (and, the fact that Charon was busy for the night) made Hermes decide to extend his delivery schedule just a little. 

It was past ten, his last deliveries being bar food and pizzas. Couples that were too tired to make food for themselves, and students that wanted to get through the night.   
It was a different mood than his earlier deliveries, who were mostly office workers or families. 

The ride home was peaceful. The city truly never slept, but it was far calmer than it was in the afternoon. He saw only two cars on the street, and not too many pedestrians around. His red and purple helmet shimmered under the streetlights, his red gradient vest making Hermes stick out in the dark sidewalks. 

Hermes had forgotten completely about his followers and the play button he had posted, his mind being occupied with different things. He had muted the notifications from his phone, allowing him to focus only in riding and delivering food. 

It was 10:37 when he entered his apartment, the sweat in his skin having dried off in the cool air of the night. He finally looked down at his phone, noticing Charon’s messages.

[Charon]: Thanatos says congratulations, and hello.

Hermes smiled. 

[You]: aw that’s sweet tell him thank u. U still out with them?

[Charon]: Just drove them home. How was your day?

Hermes felt his heart swell, cheeks red as he plopped on his couch.

[You]: did some deliveries!! Just got home actually. 

[You]: lots of pizza and wings and burgers

[You]: i kinda want some now can we get wings tomorrow ;)

[Charon]: I actually was thinking of a specific place, if you don’t mind.

[You]: :00000 where

[Charon]: It’s a surprise.

Hermes jiggled, hand rubbing his hot cheeks. The fact that Charon was interested enough to plan something specific with Hermes made his head dizzy, in a good way. 

[You]: its a date then boss ;))) cannot wait.

He saw the three dots dance on his screen and Hermes was holding his breath until Charon sent his message.

[Charon]: It’s a date. Have a good night :)

Hermes almost squealed like a highschool girl in the emptiness of his apartment. He allowed himself to be embarrassing, no one around to see him make a fool of himself.   
In the short time they’ve known each other, Hermes noticed multiple things about Charon’s personality and quirks. They texted each other a lot, and he realized Charon very rarely used emoticons, unless he was really happy.

For him to say good night with an emoticon was, in Hermes opinion, a very big deal.

[You]: u too bye!!!! :)))

Hermes sighed, jumping off the couch and taking a quick shower before he went to bed. By the time he had cleaned himself off he still was too excited, lying awake on his bed as he mentally repeated the text in his mind.

* * *

He wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from Charon’s choice of restaurant, if he was being quite honest.

The man was always adorned in expensive gold rings and necklaces. His office was shock full of what Hermes assumed was expensive art (he wouldn’t know- he was no art connoisseur). His car was an expensive one, as well, and the fact that he could pay Hermes’ medical bill without any issue and insisted in paying him whatever he needed meant that Charon was someone with a lot of money.

It was obvious that Charon had expensive taste. 

So, when he told him that he had already some place planned for their outing, Hermes thought it would be some really expensive place, one of those fancy restaurants that he used to go to when he lived in Olympus. The kind where you had to dress up elegantly with a suit and a tie, the food was small and flavorless yet shockingly expensive. 

Memories of his past rushed to him, dinner with his father’s associates- old people he did not know, affairs that were centered more in business rather than the actual experience. 

He dreaded the idea, but if it was with Charon- it should be fine, right?

Cautious, he did ask Charon if there was a specific dress code to follow, expecting him to reply back that he would need a suit, but instead Charon told him business casual was fine. 

Business casual- he could do that.

Hermes wouldn’t admit it outloud, but he spent an embarrassingly amount of time choosing his outfit, over analytical of every single little thing.  
After way too long, he finally decided on light brown khaki pants, a white long sleeved button up shirt. It was chilly outside, so he layered up with a light orange v-neck sweater. 

He didn’t own any dress shoes, so instead he put on the cleanest white chuck taylors he had. 

By the time he finished grooming himself up Charon texted him to tell him he had arrived. Hermes’ heart skipped a beat and he practically ran down the stairs, careful to not fall on his ass.

Charon’s infamous vehicle was parked at the corner of the street, the owner standing next to the passenger door with a cigarette between his fingers. 

He had said business casual, but Charon looked the same as ever, sans the coat suit he normally wore. The hat, purple sunglasses and jewelry stayed on, though.

“Hello, old man.” He greeted as he approached Charon. The accountant smiled softly, looking down at Hermes fondly. “Shall we?”

Charon patted down his shoulder gently, before opening the passenger’s door. 

“Oh why thank you, sir! What a gentleman!”

Charon huffed out smoke from his lips, waiting until Hermes sat himself down before closing the door and boarding the driver side. 

Hermes figured he should feel weird about riding that car, not only because he was inside a vehicle with a (very) handsome man, but because that car hit him not too long ago.  
Yet he felt no ill towards it. He was actually glad he hadn’t dented it, having to have Charon pay for it as well. 

Their drive towards this mysterious restaurant was filled with chatter from Hermes, going on a tangent about the last movie he watched. Charon would nod and eye him, giving short answers as he couldn’t sign properly while driving. 

“So, where are we going anyways? Some place I know?”

Charon shrugged. [One of my client’s restaurant]

“One of those rich guys?”

[No. It’s quaint, I quite like it]

“I can’t wait to see what you like then, boss.”

He could see the faintest hint of red reach Charon’s cheeks. Hermes chuckled, looking out of the window as they drove by. 

It didn’t take them too long to arrive. A part of Hermes still thought he would find an expensive and lavish restaurant, but instead they arrived at a small italian bistro, fairy lights hanging from the trees around it. It was cute, one of those places you would like to take a date to.

The hostess recognized Charon, greeting him gingerly at the entrance. They sat on the smoking area, situated outside of the house and on the green garden on the back of the restaurant. The sun was already starting to set, the fairy lights above them turning on and illuminating the people waiting for their meals.

“You come here often? Bring pretty delivery boys around here every now and then?” Hermes chuckled, scanning the menu in his hands.

[Only the ones I like]

“Aw, you like me boss?” 

Charon huffed out a little, eyes instead focusing on the menu, refusing to answer said question. Hermes chuckled softly, looking around the place with his chin propped by his fist. 

“You said one of your clients owns this place?”

[Yes. We manage this place’s accounting. Old couple, really nice] Charon put down the menu, eyes focusing on the greenery around them. [One of our first clients]

“I must say, I expected all your clients to be ruthless business and companies, not little places like this.”

Charon nods, agreeing. Anyone who saw Charon would think of him as a ruthless businessman- and while he was ruthless (thinking back on the incident with Luca and his annoying assistant), Charon was no shark. 

The waitress knew Charon as well as they placed their orders. Hermes ordered baked ziti while Charon ordered lobster ravioli, with expensive wine to accompany it. Hermes has been drinking so much wine lately, his brother Dionysus would be proud of him. 

[You said you woke up early today?] Charon asks, glass of wine on his hand as he swirled around the liquid, just before he took a sip out of it elegantly.

“Ah- yeah. Signed myself up for the Marathon in five months, I want to start training properly for it! Waking up at five in the morning to train and run around before starting the day. I could do it at the gym, but there is just something about running on the actual asphalt, you know? Something about the wind in your face. Makes you feel really alive.”

Charon stared at him intently as he spoke, blinking and nodding, completely focused on Hermes. 

“But yeah! Does Thanatos do some special training? I remember you guys saying that he does the marathon, too.”

[He trains, but unsure how.] Charon looked at his wine, licking his lips as if he anxiously debated asking something. [I want to join the Marathon, too]

“What, for real?” Hermes’ eyes lit up like lightbulbs, widening as he leans towards Charon, careful to not spill wine all over the table. “Have you done marathons before?”

Charon shakes his head. [Don’t run. Train, but not running]

“What kind of training do you do?”

Charon sighs. [General. Upper body, sometimes lower body too. But I don’t run]

Hermes crossed his arms, thinking deeply. “You’re going to need to get trained for that, then. I know people who spend all their day at the gym but never touch the treadmill. These meatheads! Thrice as big and wide as me, they faint at these events!” He chuckles at the mental image. “You have to start from the ground up, boss.”

Charon’s lips twitch just a little, taking a big drink of wine, uncharacteristic of him. Hermes eyes him, knowing the man had something in his mind but unable to properly communicate with him.

Before Hermes can ask him about it, their food arrives. He stares down at his plate, very different from the micro food he imagined he would be eating earlier that day. Still, he finds Charon is tight, anxiously grabbing his utensils as if something was eating at him.

“Hey- sorry.” Hermes says, already assuming whatever Charon’s worried about, it was his fault. 

The taller man cocks his head in confusion. 

“Yeah- I mean I was all saying how you can’t just do it, you have to do it from the ground up- proper rude, eh?” 

Charon blinks, then shakes his head. [It’s not that, you are right.]

“Oh.” Hermes replies, slightly frazzled. “Oh...kay. Are you worried?”

[It’s,] Charon can’t seem to find the words. [Do you mind training together?]

He blinks. “For the marathon?”

[It would be from zero, if it is too much of a burden-]

“No- no I don’t mind at all! That would… that actually would be really fun!” 

Charon takes a deep breath as if a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders. Its then, when Hermes realizes that Charon’s anxiety steamed from asking to train together, afraid of Hermes’ rejection.

A strange concept, to desire his approval. 

Charon taps the table to catch Hermes’ attention, who had been focusing a little too much on his food. He raises his glass of wine, inviting Hermes to clink it over- a toast.

“What’s the occasion, boss?” Hermes asks just as they clink their glasses together. 

[Your followers. You got a plaque. Congratulations]

“Ah- well,” Hermes felt his cheeks redden, suddenly very aware of it all. He rolls his eyes a little, downplaying it. “It’s no big deal, right? Many people have these, and-”

[It is your job. It means you are doing good at your job] He signs, quickly. [You are allowed to be proud]

“I… guess.” Hermes laughs, still not believing that. But he looks at Charon, legitimately happy for him. “You know what? Yeah. Damn right, it is a big accomplishment. It’s pretty damn good.”

He raises his glass again, followed by a smiling Charon who did the same, clinking their glasses together once more. “To my plaque!”

Charon nods, proud that he was able to convince Hermes that his accomplishments were of worth. They both drink the wine, Hermes staring down at Charon as he did so. They locked eyes happily, smiling into their drinks.

The rest of the night had been spent laying plans on how to train for the marathon. Hermes didn’t have a car, but Charon’s job forced him to be more punctual, and driving to and from Hermes’ apartment, getting ready and then going to work would be a logistical nightmare with the traffic. 

Instead, Hermes would bike to Charon’s place. They would train for an hour before Charon had to start getting ready for work, then Hermes would just ride his bicycle back home. 

At first Charon was apprehensive of having Hermes ride that early in the morning, but Hermes convinced him that he had far more strict schedules back in school, that he could take it. 

Having decided on a time, they paid for their meals. Charon wanted to pay first, but Hermes insisted he should pay his part. Charon then pointed out Hermes paid for last time, the pizza restaurant. It was Charon’s turn to pay.

Which, fair. Though Hermes pointed out, this only meant he would be paying next time. Charon nodded, accepting the threat while rolling his eyes. 

Crickets chirped around them as they returned to Charon’s car. Charon rushed over to open the door of the passenger seat, allowing Hermes to slip inside. 

“Is this a date?” He asked, as he sat down.

He didn’t mean to sound accusatory or demanding, just a simple question that had been clawing at his mind for the past hours. Charon stood there, door in his hold as he looked at the grass, then back at Hermes. 

[Do you want it to be a date?]

Hermes thought about it, for a minute. Ever since the previous day, he had been treating this like one.

“I really hope this is a date, boss.” He chuckled, softly, the sole of his chuck taylors grinding against the grass underneath. “Do… you want it to be a date?”

[I want it to be a date, too]

Hermes smiled softly, an apprehension he didn’t know he had melting away. “Then I think this is officially a date, boss.”

Charon said nothing, instead closing the door softly and letting Hermes strap himself with the seatbelts. Silently, Charon slipped into the driver’s seat, already turning out the vehicle before Hermes spoke again.

“I liked this date.”

Charon looks at him from the corner of his eye, his arm hanging out from the window of the vehicle. 

[I enjoyed it too. Very much]

Hermes couldn’t hide the way his cheeks reddened. 

“You know,” he says while Charon drives, eyes staring out of the window. “I was really worried this morning. I don’t even know why.”

Charon looks at him for a moment, before he signs. [Anxious, too. Don’t know why]

“Really? Hmmm,” he hums, the streetlights blurring as they made their way through the city. “Maybe that’s just natural, you know? To be anxious for these kinds of things. But that means they’re good, right? You’re so excited, it makes you anxious.”

Charon hums back softly in affirmation. That he, too, was excited for this. 

The drive to Hermes’ apartment isn’t too long, thankfully the lack of traffic helped as well, a rare occasion in the city. Charon parks in front of the building in an empty spot, stopping the car but not stopping the engine. The artificial yellow of the interior light above them casted a warm shadow over his body, making his jewelry glow in the night. 

“Hey,” Hermes catches his attention, smiling wide. “Had a really good time today.”

[Had a very good time too]

They stare into each other’s eyes. Charon had taken off his sunglasses, his pale grey eyes (almost white, not unlike a ghost) staring softly at him. 

Hermes felt his heartbeat on his chest, ears warm as he moved slowly, slower than he is known for towards Charon.   
Charon did the same, and Hermes felt like he was dreaming.

Long calloused fingers reached over to cradle his jaw ever so gently, the chillness of the golden rings making Hermes’ skin shiver slightly. He closed his eyes as he felt Charon’s thin lips gently kiss over his, softly and gently, vastly different from the first time they kissed. 

It made butterflies flutter in his ribcage, the way Charon just gently touched him. His long hair tickled Hermes’ face, but he allowed himself to be loved so gently, to be kissed in the jaw like he was being worshipped. 

“Charon,” he sighs as those lips travel down to his neck, making Hermes shiver. 

It makes him feel lustful, but Charon doesn’t go further than that. He places another kiss on the corner of Hermes’ mouth, 

“We can,” he breathes, not realizing how riled up he was until he attempts to speak, his voice coming out heavy and breathy. “We can go inside my apartment. You can come with.”

Charon thinks about it for a moment, eyes focused on Hermes. He still held his face between those big hands, big enough to completely encapsulate Hermes’ face. 

He shakes his head. [Not yet]

Yet.

Hermes thinks he would be far more dejected than he is, now. But he isn’t- something that is strange to him.   
He has been denied before, who hasn’t? But normally it was followed by feelings of rejection and embarrassment. However- Hermes doesn’t feel any of that. He feels good. Feels sure of himself. 

Yet. 

“Okay,” he chuckles, his own hand over Charon’s, caressing his rings. “Hope you’re ready to wake up early tomorrow then, big guy. Need to start your training.”

Charon sighs loudly, letting go of Hermes while the smaller man shrugged comically. “Hey- you’re the one who wants to run a marathon! You have to be ready!”

The tall man chuckles, retrieving a cigarette and placing it unlit on his lips. He was about to get off the car to open the door for Hermes, but he beat him to it, slipping out of the car and standing next to the driver’s seat before Charon could even get out.

“It’s alright, boss. Can’t get you dying of the cold out here, eh? An old guy like you cannot handle these changes of temperatures.”

Charon looked up at him with that annoyed look, the one where he wasn’t actually annoyed at all.

“Goodnight, Charon.” He says one last time, leaning down and kissing Charon in the lips one last time. Chaste, quick, soft enough for him to savor it. “Text me when you get home, okay?”

The man nods.

[See you tomorrow] Charon signs, as Hermes waves one last time before he enters his building, feeling intoxicated from their previous conversation as he rides the elevator.

Entering his apartment feels like a dream, his body far too full of many emotions for him to comprehend.

During his gleeful daze, he gets ready for bed and gets everything ready for tomorrow morning, getting a notification on his phone from Charon just before he slips into bed. 

[Charon]: Got home. Goodnight.

Hermes slips under the blankets, smiling wild as he replies back

[You]: Goodnight <3

He puts his phone away on the nightstand, closing his eyes and hoping sleep could find him, despite the way his heart thumped against his chest in excitement.


	6. The Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charon and Hermes train for a marathon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like how i make this fic more about working out rather than. you know. Youtube shenanigans. 
> 
> its cute, ok. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!

5 A.M. on the dot. 

His alarm blared, waking Charon up from his deep sleep.  
He then regretted every decision he had made in his life that led to this. 

Charon had so cheerfully agreed to this last night, and he even looked forward to it when he thought about it yet the actual physical action of waking up that early was a nightmare. He was a morning person, but five in the morning was just too much even for him.

Still, he had a compromise. He couldn’t just skip out because he wanted to sleep another couple of hours. 

So, cursing himself, Charon climbed out of the bed.

It took him an uncharacteristically long time to dress up on his workout clothes, his sleepiness making his movements jerky and slow. However, he was finally able to dress himself up, and the deal was sealed- dressed up, he could no longer crawl back into bed. This was happening.

It’s not that he doesn’t want to train with Hermes. He is excited about that prospect, to the point that it was difficult for him to even suggest it the previous night. He is just not used to waking up this early to work out. His exercise sessions normally were after work and during his free days, not this early in the day. 

He washed his face on the bathroom sink, hoping it would be enough to fully wake him up. He wondered if he should drink coffee, but the idea of having the urge to go to the bathroom in the middle of their session put him off it. Just water would do.

At 5:30 AM there was rapid knocking on the door. 

“Goooood morning!” Hermes called from the other side. Charon sighs, opening the door to greet the over enthusiastic Hermes.

Despite it being far too early in the morning, Hermes looked like he was in his element. Wide awake, dressed up in black running thighs with orange stripes at the sides as well as a long sleeved white compression shirt. It was almost an insult just how wide awake he was in comparison to Charon’s grogginess.

“Hey boss! Are you ready to start?”

Charon sighs and nods, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his palm.

“Aw, tired? Old man needs his nap?”

[It’s five in the morning], Charon signs as he steps out of his apartment, water bottle in hand. 

“It’s five thirty in the morning!” Hermes says, as if that was some sort of logical comeback. Charon sighed, fighting tiredness as they rode down the elevator.

The streets around them were devoid of people apart from the random car that would occasionally pass. The street lights illuminated them as it was still dark out- the sun wouldn’t rise for another half hour. 

“Alright,” Hermes hops on the sidewalk, turning to face Charon. “You said you’ve never done any kind of running before, eh?”

Charon shook his head. His workout routine was focused more on his upper body, weight and the like. He didn’t really do cardio. 

“Okay then, that means we will have to start from zero. Marathons are all about stamina, rather than speed itself- you can be really fast, but if you use up all your energy at the start, then you’re going to have a bad time. First things first is getting you trained. So! I hope you don’t mind, I made a little bit of a training routine?”

Hermes slips out his phone out of a waist bag wrapped around his midsection. He showed it to Charon, but he had to squint to truly see it. “I’ll send it to you later- but basically, here are some routines we can do to get you started.”

Charon nodded, listening intently. 

[Okay. I’m ready] he says, but Charon doesn’t actually believe it.

“So! For today, we will run for about forty five minutes. Don’t overdo yourself- but try to go as much as you can, okay? But first!” Hermes drops on the floor, legs stretched out in a V. “We have to stretch.”

Sure. Okay. Stretching- how hard could it be?

It turns out that stretching could be considered its own damn workout.   
It didn’t help that Hermes didn’t look affected by it, a smile wide on his face as he gingerly spoke and explained all the movements and positions they had to perform. Charon had no flexibility at all, his muscles stiff and crying in pain during the process.

“You know, yoga really helps. I’ve been actually considering taking some yoga classes- maybe you can join me?”

From any other person, it would feel like a dig. But Hermes’ eagerness and honestly actually made Charon consider it for a second. He was as stiff as a corpse, but he couldn’t imagine himself just doing yoga.

Well, a month or so ago he wouldn’t have imagined himself stretching on the middle of the pavement, and there he was now, sweat rolling down his forehead as he tried to pretend he was totally fine. 

“You okay, boss?” Hermes asked, noticing the way Charon’s normally pale face was flushed and drenched in sweat. His hair was all sweaty as well and all over his face, forcing Charon to pull out a hair tie, pulling back on a ponytail.

He nods, taking a deep breath. 

“Well then, let’s go!” 

They both take off at the same time, but Hermes is already way ahead of him as he started running on his own pace. Charon didn’t even attempt to catch up, his speed and stamina being basically zero compared to his companion. 

Hermes looked back, trying to make sure Charon was fine. Charon waved him off, a permission for Hermes to keep going on his own. The smaller man smiled and nodded, going off on his own trek. 

Charon kept going until he ran out of breath and his heart was beating way too hard against his chest. He slowed down, looking at his watch hoping that a significant amount of time had passed since they started.

Only two minutes have passed.

Charon cursed the gods, but kept going. 

Running is _hard_.

By the time 45 minutes passed, Charon was drenched in sweat and his heartbeat was through the roof. His legs were shaking like jelly and he was sure if he stopped now, he would collapse out of exhaustion. 

Hermes ran laps around him, quite literally. Everytime they crossed paths he stopped to check on Charon, who would always wave him off and assure him he was okay, even if he was as red as a tomato and his chest rattled like that of an old man. Still, Hermes gave him pointers every time.

“Don’t overdo yourself! Take breaks when you need to, but walk those breaks! Keep an eye on your heart rate!”

He was so sweet, but Charon couldn’t even appreciate it. He was so exhausted. 

“Well, how do you feel, old man?” Hermes smiles. He was sweating, but he barely looked unbothered unlike Charon. His cheeks were slightly flushed, but nothing compared to Charon’s current state. 

[Tired]

“Ha! Figured so, it is your first time running. You survived this round, so it's time to stop and walk for a while.”

They both stopped running, instead walking around and catching their breaths. Well, Charon caught his breath- Hermes looked like the perfect athlete as he drank water from his hydroflask. 

“Gets the blood pumping, eh? Feels good.” He waves his hands around, clearly excited. “Hope I didn’t push you too far, associate. I can get a little too excited when I have running partners.”

Charon chuckled at the idea that he himself could be Hermes’ running partner. He was sure that his heart would explode if he ran more, if anything he was a liability. 

[I’m not good at this,] he signs, hands shaky from the extersion.

“No one is at the start! You start slow, then you just keep going. The hard part is to just… keep doing it, you know?”

The sun had already risen by the time they finished their running session. They walked around the block for half an hour more, helping Charon come back to earth.

They ended up in front of Charon’s apartment building. Hermes wiped his forehead clean of sweat, smiling all the while. “That’s all for today! I’ll send you the little workout schedule I made- but tomorrow you have to rest. No point in training if you overdo it- you have to give time for your muscles to relax.”

Charon nodded, thanking the heavens that tomorrow would be a break day. He could already imagine how sore his body would be the next morning. 

“Have a good breakfast, take a shower and relax!” He slaps Charon’s forearm lightly, playfully. “Did you have fun?”

[I wouldn’t call it fun], Charon signs which provokes a small laugh from Hermes. [But I did enjoy your company]

“Well! I’m glad, because I’m coming by at the same hour the day after tomorrow. Are you up to it?”

The pain in Charon’s calves told him to say no. 

[Yes]

Idiot.

“Well then! I’ll be going home, talk to you later, boss!” He pats Charon’s side again, far more affectionate this time. Had Charon not been drenched in sweat he would have considered the idea of hugging Hermes, but it was out of the question. He probably smelled a little, too. 

He waved Hermes off as he sped off in his bicycle, not entering his apartment building until Hermes disappeared on the horizon.

* * *

Hypnos stared at him with half lidded eyes, chin propped up by his palm. In his other hand he had a pen, tapping it against Charon’s mahogany desk.

[You’re going to stain it] he scolded, taking the pen away from Hypnos. Still, his younger brother kept staring at him.

Charon stared back, waiting for whatever it is that he was going to say.

“You look tired. Did you sleep well?”

[Yes, I did.] Charon doesn’t necessarily lie- he did sleep properly. He just wasn’t about to tell his brothers that he signed himself up for a marathon- he knew the moment he did they would tease him for it. 

Especially considering who he was training with.

“I dunno. You just look pretty tired”

[Nonsense], Charon signs.

He stands up from his desk, but he falters for one moment. His legs hurt after that morning workout, shaking and making him feel like he was about to fall.

Charon stares at Hypnos, who does nothing but smile silly, eyes half lidded as he caught Charon on his lie. 

“So I heard there is this marathon happening in some months. I know a certain delivery boy is going to join. Charon, are you-”

Charon dumps a huge pile of papers in front of Hypnos.

[Photocopy these]

“Fine, fine,” he says defeated, scooping up the papers on his hands and making his way out of the office. “Eat protein! I heard that helps.”

Charon scoffs as his brother leaves. 

He looks at his phone, Hermes’ workout plan already saved in it. He looks at it over and over, dreading every single day he would have to repeat this song and dance.  
But it was good for him, right? It is well known that running in general is good for the health. 

And, well. He couldn’t ignore the fact that Hermes was his personal trainer, too.

He shoved the phone in his pocket, turning back to work on the computer, legs aching dully.

Running wasn’t so bad, after all.


	7. The Red Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charon is on a red light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter despicts someone getting hit by a car, and its kind of graphic. Nothing super duper graphic, but yeah.
> 
> This chapter is kinda angsty too, so yeah.
> 
> Thank you for reading!

It all happened so fast. 

Charon’s fingers gripped on the steering wheel so hard it left indents on the leather. He stopped breathing as he witnessed what had happened in front of him. 

A paradox. It happened so fast and yet he watched it all on slow motion. 

It had been a normal drive. Charon was trapped once more in the hellish traffic of the city, driving alone as he just waited for the red light along with the other cars. He drummed his fingers on his thigh as he waited, an unlit cigarette dancing on his mouth. As much as he liked smoking, he tried to not do it inside the car. It just stank it up, he came to learn as a teenager after he bought his first vehicle, and this car was far too nice for him to stink up.

The car in front of him kept revving up, desperate to get somewhere. Charon frowned, biting down on the cigarette as the motor of the vehicle kept roaring, waiting for the moment the car ahead of them moved and they could drive away. 

Stupid, Charon thought nonchalantly. The sound of the motor kept interrupting his thoughts, and the smog coming from the exhaust was starting to piss him off, too. 

Finally, the red light turned to green and the cars started to drive away. It was a long street, the cars in front of them taking their sweet time to move. The green light turned to yellow and soon to red, trapping Charon in a sea of cars once more.

The car in front of him became even more impatient, revving up the engine like he was in a race movie. He bit down his cigarette, brows knitting together in exasperation at this guy who couldn’t wait for five more minutes.  
Charon tried to distract himself with the radio, but the sound of the car in front of him drowned any music that came out of the speakers, not only making his engine roar, but blasting up very loud music.

Charon tapped his foot against the floor of his car in annoyance. He bit his cigarette so hard the nicotine poured on his tongue, forcing Charon to spit it out and throw it away. He mentally insulted the man, wondering where he was going in such a hurry that he had to make this scene in the middle of the damn street. 

The owner driver of the car in front of him continued with its ridiculous hissy fit as they drove slowly down the road, up to the traffic light. The car was just about to cross, but the light car in front of them both took its sweet time to cross. 

Green light turned to yellow turned to red, and Charon cursed as he realized he would be stuck with this guy for longer. After all, It was natural to expect the car in front of him to stop at the red light. 

It was natural to believe it would obey the laws of traffic and just wait. 

Charon witnessed as the car in front of him hit the pedal, driving off like a lightning bolt, speeding off.

He saw when the car hit the brakes, attempting to stop but being too late.

The car skidded on the street after impact. The blur of a bicycle that flew off to the other side of the street, along with a body that rolled from the front of the vehicle to its ceiling before it rolled back and landed on the street in a crumpled heap. 

Charon’s heart was beating hard against his ribcage, eyes wide open. A ringing sound echoed in his ears as he finally got out of the car, a circle of people forming around the victim on the street.

It was not his nature to go and see the damage. It was not something he did- he would rather drive past road accidents and hope they were all okay. He didn’t have curiosity for the morbid.

But it hit too close to home. 

He immediately got out of his car, crossing the street in a daze. People were on their phones already calling for an ambulance, making a human barrier and preventing the driver from leaving. 

The bicycle lay on the ground, warped and ruined. The frame was all wrong, the wheels deflated and broken.  
His eyes slowly wandered from the broken bike to the asphalt, dragging until he finally spotted the crumpled body on the ground.

A familiar body laid on the ground, small and ruined. A vest with a gradient from yellow to red. Brown curls that peeked from under a glittering red helmet with a sticker of a pair of wings on the front. Orange shoes-

Charon pressed the heel of his palms against his eyes until it hurt.

No. No. 

He opened his eyes again. 

The body on the ground shifted. No longer he saw the delivery boy he had come to befriend, but another person. A cyclist in a green vest, blond hair spilling out from under their white helmet.  
Their body was twisted in different angles as they laid on the pavement, but breathing just barely. Blood poured out of their mouth and nose. Charon did not know if they would survive.

His eyes wandered to the driver who had not yet gotten out of the car. Music continued to blare from the vehicle, loud and meaningless. The lyrics made Charon’s insides vibrate, teeth shaking at the tempo.

The windshield was cracked, a smear of blood decorating the fracture. The driver was in shock, eyes peeled open and staring at the horizon, mouth slightly agape as he realized just what he had done.  
He looked young, too. Younger than his brothers, even. 

Charon blinked, and for a moment he could have sworn he saw himself on the driver seat.

The ambulance arrived quickly. Charon did not stay long enough to see them carry the patient away, but he made sure they were still alive. Police officers were interrogating the driver as well as witnesses.  
Officers tried to ask Charon for his statement, but had no interpreters available. He had to write down his statement. He was unsure if he would have to go to the police precinct to give his statement but they let him go shortly after. It was then when he realized that his car still was technically parked in the middle of the road, along with police cars blocking the road. 

He moved towards his car almost automatically, not feeling his limbs as he opened the door and slid on the driver’s seat. His hands shook as he gripped the steering wheel, and Charon had to wait a moment to steele his nerves. Finally, he drove away but not before glancing at the driver one last time.

The young man was sitting on the curve. His head was between his legs, hands gripping at the back of his neck. Two police officers were talking to him, but he didn’t seem to pay attention to whatever they were telling him.

Charon drove away.

* * *

He was supposed to meet Hermes that night. One of those impromptu days, where Hermes just suggested earlier that day they could hang out. 

That’s how most days of the week went- they would hang around walking in the park and pointing at stars, talking about whatever came to mind. Charon was a shut in- he preferred spending his days in his office or in his home, his only outings being with clients or with his brothers.

He had come to enjoy Hermes’ company in a way he didn’t expect.

Yet there was a knot in his chest. It clawed at his insides painfully, and the idea of just meeting up with Hermes that night- it was far too much for him.

Charon took his phone with shaky hands. Cold sweat rolled down his forehead, the last message Hermes sent, a smiling emoji looking back at him, almost mockingly.  
He had to retype his message multiple times before he could write it right, his pulse too shaky to type properly for a moment.

[You]: Hello

[You]: Sorry. Will have to cancel tonight.

[Hermes]: Hey !!!!

He and Hermes sent their messages pretty much at the same time. Three dots danced on the screen, stopping for a moment only to start moving once more. Charon typed fast, an excuse for the sudden cancelation. 

[You]: Not feeling very well. Feeling sick.

The dots stop again. Charon’s ears buzzed as Hermes started typing once more, the three dots dancing on the rhythm of his heartbeat. 

[Hermes]: oh noooooo

[Hermes]: u ok? Want me to drop by?

[You]: No, it’s alright. Just need to rest.

[Hermes]: ok!!! Drink plenty of water and rest!! Text me if u need me and i’ll be there in a blink. 

[You]: Thank you

[Hermes]: :)))

Charon closed the application and stared at his phone for way too long. He hadn’t noticed he had been clenching his jaw until it started hurting.  
He went directly to the alcohol cabinet, pouring himself a whiskey.

The image of Hermes splayed on the ground in front of Charon haunted him like a demon, mixed with the cyclist that had been run over earlier that day. He couldn’t stop picturing a bleeding Hermes, limbs twisted crudely and limp. He could see the blood smeared in his car’s windshield. 

They should have never met each other.

Had Charon not been an irresponsible moron, he wouldn’t have sped off like he did that day. He wouldn’t have hit Hermes with his car, forcing both of them to interact. Hermes would have passed by and they would have never interacted again, apart from maybe delivering food to Charon.

All their interactions had been a product of Charon’s carelessness. 

He didn’t have the right to his time. He didn’t have the right to form a relationship with the man who he could have killed. Even if Hermes played it off as not a big deal, Charon would never forget the sight of that cyclist in the ground, bleeding out. 

Charon breathes out, the glass of whiskey in his hands shaking almost spilling its liquid contents on his fingers. He closed his eyes, hiding his face behind his free hand, the coolness of his own rings a sharp contrast against his hot face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drive safe, guys.


	8. The Cyclist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermes deals with rejection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a continuation from the last chapter- also kinda sad :(( 
> 
> oh well. 
> 
> WARNING: there are references to a car accident in this chapter, and someone dying. its not graphic, but it is mentioned, so watch out!

Hermes fidgeted with the cellphone in his hand, twirling around his fingers careful to not drop it. He bit his lips as he inspected it for a moment, sighing heavily and placing it screen down on the table once more. 

His latest interactions with Charon had been… dry. While the man wasn’t as energetic as Hermes when it came to texting in general, as of late all his replies were one word sentences, plan cancellations and excuses all around. 

A part of Hermes wanted to believe that the man was sick and this was just him trying to take care of himself, but he knew that was a lie. 

The inevitable happened again. 

Hermes groaned as he made a beeline towards his couch, throwing himself on top of it face first into the soft cushions. His body bounced a little before he finally settled down.

He had done it again. He had pestered, invaded Charon’s personal space to the point the man had grown tired of him not unlike Hermes’ previous relationships.

Could this even count as a relationship, however? They kissed previously, but they never settled anything in stone. Friends that kissed each other sometimes, that took walks in the park and made slime together. 

Two months had passed since Charon suggested getting to know each other. Hermes had grown far too comfortable with the accountant and now for sure the man was fed up with him and his high energy. 

Hermes had invaded his space to run. _Run_. At five in the morning. Of course Charon wasn’t going to tolerate him, who would? 

That’s how Hermes was, after all. Something people found pretty, but once they met him their crushes faded away when they found just how annoying he truly was. 

Okay. Okay he was being a little bit too dramatic. Charon had been a little bit dry at him for the past week, but the man still replied to his messages. It wasn’t like he was ghosting him- maybe he was sick, just like he had said before. 

He stood up, clinging to that one last shred of hope. Hermes went for his phone ready to text Charon once more but stopped at the last second.  
He probably didn’t want to be bothered at the moment.

Hermes bit his lip and turned away, leaving his phone on the table.

* * *

It's Friday.

Hermes lingers on his bicycle, waiting patiently as he looks down at his phone. He bit his lip as he waited for the fateful order from a certain accounting firm that is done every Friday, at the same time. The one order he always takes, always makes sure to take. He is one of the few delivery boys that would take orders that big, anyways.

His foot tapped against the ground, inpatient. He hadn’t texted Charon back since their last message, since Hermes wanted to give space to the man. But he was at work today, and every single time Hermes delivered to them, Charon was there to receive the food. 

The moment he received the request for delivery from the Styx Accounting firm, Hermes almost dropped his phone. He quickly accepted the request, and he got the instructions of where to pick up the food.

With butterflies in his stomach, Hermes sped up towards the pizza restaurant. It wasn’t too far away from the accounting firm, but nevertheless Hermes went as fast as he could, careful in every single street crossing he encountered.

He quickly arrived at the restaurant, sitting down in one of the tables as he waited for his order along with other delivery boys that were there for the same reason. 

While he waited, Hermes took a peek at his social media.

He had been posting his routine for his marathon training, and those videos were getting traction from his fans that liked his work out content. Though, according to his demographic half of his followers weren’t as interested in the exercise side of his channels. For them, he posted skin care routines as well as food recipes of what he has been eating.

Sure, the food was focused for athletes and to conserve energy, but everyone loved a good smoothie recipe and breakfast videos. They were pretty much always a win win. 

He had been getting some hate messages as of late, but that was to be expected. Hermes was gaining actual popularity on the internet, with the followers he had the hateful trolls would come by. He wasn’t worried, he always blocked said messages. It was just one of the occupational hazards he had to deal with. 

He looked at his instagram posts. Back when he helped Charon make slime, he had taken a picture of his hands full of glitter and posted it on his page. His hand sparkled red under the light, and it made Hermes smile at the memory.

He really hoped he could see Charon now.

Tapping his foot, Hermes continued scrolling down the internet as the chefs cooked his order, a couple of messenger boys leaving to deliver theirs. His was big- it would probably take a while for them to finish it. 

“Hey- be careful on the streets. That one cyclist died today.” One of the delivery boys said, his backpack orange rather than green- a different delivery company from Hermes’. 

The other delivery man, whose backpack was white (yet another company) nodded and exited with the pizzas in tow. Hermes couldn’t help his curiosity and leaned over to Orange Backpack, eager to listen to the news.

“What’s this about a cyclist?” he asks low, almost as if it was a secret.

Orange Backpack, a young man with blue eyes and black hair leans on his chair, replying back to Hermes. “A week ago this guy basically ran a red light really fast and hit a cyclist really hard. The police were called and everything. The cyclist died this morning.”

“Oh,” Hermes said, suddenly feeling very aware of the situation. “That sucks.”

“Yeah. Drivers can be crazy, I swear. I heard this one guy who is an influencer was also hit by a car while streaming! I think he is okay, though.”

“Huh. Crazy.”

Hermes said nothing more, drumming his fingers on the table. 

Before he could think too much about the news he received, his food was ready.

Hermes very carefully deposited all the pizzas on his backpack, careful to not ruin them. He could get to the office really fast, but he has had experiences where some delivery boys try to deliver pizzas too fast and the pies end up as a soggy mess. So, he had to be quick but not excessive. 

His heart fluttered in his chest as he approached the Styx office, leaving his bicycle outside of the building and going through the doors with a heavy backpack, jaw hurting from how wide he was smiling.

But only Hypnos was there, Charon nowhere in sight.

“Hey Hypnos,” Hermes greeted, trying to not show his great disappointment. 

“Hermes! Hello!” He greets back. He looked the same as always, eyes half lidded and unruly curly hair.

“Hey, uh,” he asks while he unloads the pizza boxes on the counter, muscles feeling shaky. “So… is Charon feeling better?”

“Huh?” Hypnos asks, confused. 

“He was sick- is he feeling better?” Hermes asks, but he already knew the answer to his question.

Hypnos stared at him for a few seconds, his traditional smile nowhere to be found as he analyzed the situation. Suddenly, he blinks in understanding and nods. “Ah- no, he is still resting! He isn’t here today. He’s… resting, yeah!”

“Ah,” Hermes says, stomach sinking as his fears had become a reality. “Okay. If you… see him, tell him I hope he gets better soon.”

“Don’t you guys text anymore?” Hypnos asks worriedly.

“Not anymore,” Hermes adds sadly, strapping his backpack on his back once again, shuffling a little so it settles on his back.

“Oh- here-” Hypnos shoves a tip to Hermes, not unlike Charon used to do. “It’s from my-eeee. Me. Yeah!”

Hypnos catches himself just before he says ‘my brother’, but it didn’t matter. The deal was done. The damage had been caused. The suspicions had been confirmed. 

“It’s okay.” Hermes says, not bothering to grab the money. His bubbly demeanor dies as he turns around and makes his way to the exit. “Say hi to your brothers from me, okay?”

“O...kay!” Hypnos voice drips with confusion, but Hermes doesn’t bother turning around. He gets out of the building, the hot air dampening his skin. He got on his bicycle and sped towards his apartment, finishing his shift.

Normally he would go on for a few more hours, but he wasn’t really feeling it.

He felt heat prickle at his eyes. Hermes had been so stupid to think that Charon could tolerate who he really was.

He bit his lip, trying to contain his tears until he made it home.

Hermes was a fool.

* * *

“Pizza is here.”

Hypnos was uncharacteristically dry and rude. It actually took Charon by surprise the way Hypnos slammed the door behind him, entering his office out of ear range from the other workers. 

[Thanks] Charon signs, standing up from his desk and feeling stared at by his younger brother. 

Hypnos didn’t stop staring at him with his arms crossed across his chest and his eyebrows knit together in a deep drown as he stared up at Charon. Hypnos was tall, but he was not as tall as him and he was forced to tilt his chin up to stare at Charon in the eyes.

[What?] Charon asks, clearly aware that something was wrong.

“Wow. You’re such an asshole.”

Charon is taken back by this. He could count on one hand the times Hypnos was so mad at him he called him names, and it had been really serious things that had happened between them a very long time ago. 

[What?] He asks again, eyes squinting at confusion. 

“You lied to Hermes about being sick.”

Oh. That.

[You don’t understand.]

“I mean- whatever. If you don’t want to date him anymore, that’s fine I guess! But you should tell him to his face! Not avoid him.”

[We are not dating]

“Well, sure. You aren’t now, obviously”

Charon rubs his eyes with his fingers exasperated by his brother’s attitude. 

“You shouldn’t ghost him, Charon”

[I’m not ghosting him. I’m answering his texts, its just-]

He doesn’t really have an answer for that. He couldn’t really just face Hermes again, not after realizing he didn’t have a right to even interact with the man. He… had to let him live as if the accident had never happened. 

“I think you’re being really stupid, but whatever.” He moves forward, his voice not being that of anger but rather disappointment. He shoves the tip money back at Charon, who accepts it rather confused. “He didn’t want the tip, by the way.”

With that, Hypnos leaves without another word, closing the door behind him once more, and leaving Charon clutching the money in his hands.

Hypnos wouldn’t understand. They didn’t understand why he just couldn’t keep having a relationship with Hermes. Even as friends- he had no right to do this.

They didn’t understand.

Instead of going to eat, he sat down in front of his computer. He stared at the screen for a long moment, and he let himself be engulfed by work once more.

Work was his priority, as it had always been and will always be.

* * *

He should probably let it go.

Relationships ended. It’s… it’s what happened to them. Hermes was no stranger of being dumped or being ghosted. 

But this time it felt so different to him. Normally it starts passionate and full of lust, only to fizzle into nothing when they figure out the kind of person Hermes was. But Charon- Charon had met him first, truly saw how he was. Not his instagram posts or his youtube videos. Charon saw Hermes as Hermes.

Charon was the one that had taken his time. He was the one to suggest they know each other better before putting a label in their relationship.

Well. Obviously Charon hadn’t liked what he had seen, from the look of things. And Hermes hadn’t even revealed his worst flaws, the things that truly made him a bad person. The things that you had to dig deep to really find. The things that only pop out later, when you’re comfortable with someone and you think they won't leave.

Why was he so upset? This wasn’t the first time this has happened. But Hermes- he wanted it to work. He really, _really_ wanted this to work, but it didn’t. Because it never does with him, because Zeus is right and he will never settle down and have a good relationship because That’s Just How Hermes Is, too annoying and too much for his own good.

It’s just how things are. 

He was selfish. Hermes wanted closure of some kind, he wanted Charon to stand in front of him and tell him that he wanted to end their friendship. Normally he moved on from his relationships without the need of closure, but Hermes' heart twisted tight. He just needed closure this time.

But he couldn’t demand that from the man, could he? Charon had already made his decision. 

Hermes would have to live with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just talk goddamnit


	9. The Question

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermes asks a Question

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhh this is the last of the sad trilogy!!! or at least this specific part of it uwu
> 
> was gonna first post the first 2 drabbles leaving on a cliffhanger but honestly like. why. huehuehuehue
> 
> Anyways thanks for reading!!!!!!

5:00 A.M. on the dot. 

He stretched in the cold pavement, making sure to warm up before his session. Music blasted on his ears from his wireless headphones, courtesy of that one sponsorship. It drowned all his thoughts, pumping his blood as he got ready to start his training.

The marathon would be in four months. Still plenty of time to train, but Hermes didn’t miss a single day of training.

He even was, if he was being quite honest, overtraining at this point.

But that’s what he did. He ran. It was the one thing that completely drowned all his thoughts. Running was his only motivation these days. He still uploaded videos, but he didn’t really feel the emotion anymore. It was almost a chore, something he had to do to have money rather than because he liked it.

He stopped doing deliveries on Fridays, too.

Hermes felt he wasn’t really welcome back in the office. The last message he sent to Charon was an emoji after texting him good night and to get better soon, sent over a month ago.

It was done. 

He finished stretching, mind already flooding with thoughts of the accountant. He took a deep breath before he sped off, leaving his anxieties and thoughts behind as he ran through the empty streets of the city, music blaring off in his ears, drowning the sound of his heartbeat.

* * *

Normally Hermes didn’t work deliveries late at night, unless the rare times he wasn’t able to squeeze a work out session in the morning, or his mind wandered and he just wanted a distraction.

That night, it was the latter.

The last delivery of the night he supposed, as it was already almost 11 P.M. and he should be getting back home quickly. The order was for a steak restaurant that Hermes had never been at, but it did surprise him it was open at said hour. Whatever, he didn’t really care for random restaurant’s business practices. 

With his order, Hermes silently rode his bicycle through the streets as he mechanically followed the GPS instructions. His mind was devoid of thoughts lately, and when he didn’t try to drown every single cognitive thought he found himself trapped in a circle of anxiety.

He could spend hours trying to ask himself why he was so upset lately, but it was pretty obvious. And pretty pathetic, if he was honest.

It’s not like he had been with Charon for more than two or so months. They weren’t even in an actual relationship- they were just friends.  
Hermes repeated this fact to himself many times during the day, but it still hurt, goddamnit, it still felt like a betrayal of the universe that he was starting to put down his barriers to let Charon in, and the man realized he didn’t actually want anything to do with him.

Hermes bit his lip, trying to drown his thoughts as he made it to the client’s apartment building.

It was then at that moment he realized, he had been there before.

A familiar tall building at the expensive side of town was his destination- the same apartment building where Charon resided.  
Suddenly and panicked, Hermes looked down on his phone to check his client’s picture. 

He expected to see Charon, or maybe one of the twins but the photograph was of a middle aged red haired woman he had never seen before.  
It was just a coincidence.

That made it slightly better, he thinks. While he would rather not actually enter the building at all, it would have been really uncomfortable to deliver food to the guy who basically ghosted you. If that had been the case, Hermes would have been very tempted to cancel the order and just take the food home. 

He sucked a deep breath and got inside, the familiar cool breeze of the AC chilling his sweaty body. 

He hoped this lady’s apartment was on the first floor, but of course it was on Charon’s floor. Hermes grit his teeth as he stepped on the elevator, tapping impatiently as it made its way up to the last floor. 

The last time he had been there was to drag Charon to a workout at Five in the morning. He cringed at the memory, unable to believe himself. Of course Charon didn’t want anything to do with him, Hermes being invasive like that. Who was going to want to be with someone that dragged them out of bed at the dead of the morning, to run?

“Fuck,” he curses softly to no one in particular, waiting with clenched teeth as the elevator finally stopped. 

The hallways of the apartment building looked more like hallways of a hotel. The floor was carpeted, muffling his steps as he walked. The walls were decorated with various photographs and paintings as well as plants that were very well taken care of, the lights above him illuminating everything with a warm light. He could hear soft idle chatter coming from inside the doors, mixed with soft music playing in the background, barely audible. Signs of life, yet so muted that Hermes had to pay attention to take notice of them.

He knocked on the door of his client a couple of times, already taking off his backpack to take the contents out. “Delivery!”

The door opened quickly, his client waiting for him inside the room. She looked exactly like in her picture, and said nothing as Hermes unloaded the merchandise.

“Thank you,” she said quickly, grabbing the bag of food. Hermes didn’t even have a chance to look inside his apartment as she closed the door pretty immediately. Well, at least she tipped on the application, he didn’t care much if they weren’t being overtly rude.

Taking a deep breath, he put on the green backpack once more, already making his way to the elevator again. He inadvertently looked down at his feet, his dirty sneakers leaving soft footprints on the plush carpet.

The sound of keys being dropped caught his attention, forcing Hermes to look up.

Charon stood on the hallway just outside of his apartment, his hand positioned as he was going to unlock the door, but his keys laid uselessly on the ground. He stared down at Hermes with a shocked expression in his face.

The accountant looked the same as ever- that is, long pale yellow hair that reached past his shoulders, pale face very much needing some vitamin D. His fingers shook slightly as his mind was trying to catch up with his body all of sudden.

Hermes gave him a quick smile and nod. “Hey.”

[Hello] Charon signs, finally. He bends over to retrieve his keys, not peeling his eyes away from Hermes the entire time.

“Just made a delivery,” Hermes says nonchalantly, checking on his application to finish the order and to end his shift. “Hope you don’t think I’m stalking you or anything.”

[No, no. Of course not,] Charon anxiously signs, fingers a little too fast than normal as he talks. 

He quickly tries to open the door, but fails as he can’t get the key to enter the keyhole until his third try, clearly fumbling with it. Hermes didn’t have to be a genius to know that Charon was very anxious. 

“So… how are the twins?” He asks, foolishly. A feeble attempt to drag this conversation, when Hermes knows damn well he should leave Charon alone.

[They’re well]

“Good, good.”

Charon finally is able to open the door of his apartment but doesn’t enter, just staring at the keys in his hands. He turns around to stare down at Hermes but says nothing, the scarred tissue on his lips twitching nervously.

“Sorry, I… I know I shouldn’t but I want to ask,” Hermes scratches the back of his head, hair slick with sweat that was already drying off, curls peeking out from under his helmet. “Did… I make you uncomfortable?”

Charon cocks his head, brows knit together in confusion. [Sorry?]

“Yes, I mean- did I make you uncomfortable? Was it too much?”

The accountant’s brows knit deeper, eyes squinting as he looked down at him. [I don’t understand]

“Yes! I mean- going to your house, the glitter- just coming here and dragging you out of bed at Five in the morning to work out. That was too much, wasn’t it? I went too far doing that, right? Just invading your personal space in general. You… look like someone who appreciates his private space, a lot, and I just invaded it.”

He feels knots on his chest as he speaks hands moving on their own, not signing but gesticulating loudly. Charon stared at him, eyes wide in even more confusion like Hermes was speaking another language. 

[You didn’t invade my space. I invited you in]

“Yes, but… I got here at five in the morning. That surely is too far, isn’t it?”

[Five and thirty in the morning]

Hermes chuckles slightly, remembering being at the other side of this conversation a while ago. Still, it didn’t answer his questions of what was happening, then.

“But… I was too annoying, right? Just too much, too loud? I inserted myself into your life without even asking. That’s just… the kind of thing I do. I just wanted to make sure, that’s why-”

Charon waves his hand trying to catch Hermes attention, stopping him from continuing his line of thought. His mouth was twisted not in anger or annoyance but a strange sadness. 

[Why are you berating yourself?] He asks, worried. [You are not annoying. What are you talking about?]

“Yes, I am too annoying, Charon!” He raises his voice without even noticing it. “It’s just what I do, okay! I insert myself in people's lives without even asking and then take over and just- I talk and talk and talk and pry open, and that’s not right!” He steps over, closing the gap between him and Charon but the accountant steps back again, creating a rift between them and making Hermes’ heart clench. “Tell me it’s wrong, Charon! Tell me that being like this is wrong!”

Charon stares at him, mouth agape and eyes just focusing on the smaller man. Hermes could feel his shoulders shake, eyes hot as he tried to not let tears out. 

“Tell me it’s wrong, Charon. Tell me I fucked up.” He rubs his eyes with his knuckles, desperately trying to contain a sob. “Tell me… tell me I’m- tell me I’m fucked up…”

Two strong hands grip at his shoulders strongly, an attempt to stop Hermes from spiraling even further. He could feel hot tears prickle at the corners of his eyes, he didn’t want to cry in front of Charon like a pathetic ex boyfriend- something he wasn’t. He didn’t even have the right to call himself an ex. 

[Hermes,] Charon signs slowly, making sure Hermes will focus on his words. [I will not]

Hermes chuckles out pathetically, getting tired of this charade Charon was putting. He bits his bottom lip roughly, the sadness mixing up with anger at this point. 

[You are not annoying. You are not too much. You are not the problem]

“So, it’s not me, it’s you?” He mockingly says, repeating that terrible cliche. “Really? Is that really what you’re going to say, now?”

Charon tenses for a moment, but nods.

“Okay…” Hermes says, dejected. That one lie he had always been fed when his exes were too kind for him. A code for ‘well actually you’re unbearable but I won’t say that to your face’. Just another lie, along with Charon saying that there was nothing wrong with Hermes.

“Well… goodbye.” He doesn’t believe the lie. He can’t. But Charon refused to tell him the truth that were Hermes’ flaws, instead shielding himself in the cliche. 

He starts walking away, but strong hands grab him once again by the shoulders and twist him, making him look at Charon. 

“What?” He says, annoyed. If Charon wasn’t going to give him the dignity of telling him the truth, then why was he keeping him there?

[You are not the problem]

“Then what is? What is the issue, Charon?” Hermes closes his eyes, exhausted. “If… you don’t want to tell me, that’s okay. But don’t lie to me, please. Just tell me the truth, or don’t say anything at all.”

Charon was sweating at this point, fingers gripping tight at his skin but Hermes did not falter.

[I-] Charon starts, trying to sign his thoughts. [I don’t-]

He cards his fingers through his hair, trying to compose himself. Hermes waits for him patiently staring up at his tall ex friend.

[I don’t deserve a relationship with you]

Hermes blinks, cocking his head to the side. “Sorry?”

[It isn’t right of me]

Hermes’ confusion grows, as Charon martyrized himself.

“Okay. Why do you say that?”

[I hit you with my car]

“Charon, I already told you I didn’t mind.” Hermes sighs, frustrating bubbling in his belly. 

[I saw a cyclist get run over]

This gives pause to Hermes, suddenly very awake and the exhaustion vanishing from his body.

[I was driving behind this car. It ran a red light. He hit a cyclist hard. Saw the cyclist roll on the car and to the ground] His fingers are shaking, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down and twisting scarred tissue. [I saw him lying on the ground and bleeding]

Hermes swallowed dry, brown eyes focused on Charon’s pale ones. They shook with anxiety, jumping from sight to sight and trying to avoid Hermes’ eyes, guilt seeping through his pores. 

[The cyclist died]

Hermes remembered hearing the news of a cyclist being run over and dying by some asshole who sped off. Suddenly, things were starting to make more sense, but he still couldn’t fully grasp it.

Charon wasn’t good at words. Hermes knew this, being the one that talked in their short relationship. He had difficulty talking about how he felt, his emotions- while Hermes just wore his heart on his sleeve. He could see the great difficulty Charon was having to explain his actions.

[I,] He takes a deep breath. [I saw you there. On the pavement, dead]

His chest rattles, the normally intimidating man at the verge of crumbling.

[We only know each other due to me being reckless. I could have killed you] Charon takes deep breaths. [We wouldn’t have met each other if I didn’t hurt you. I don’t have a right to you.]

[It’s wrong of me to do that. I should not take advantage of me almost killing you]

Hermes finally understands. 

He had mistaken Charon’s guilt for something completely different, something very real and scary. He wanted to tell Charon that everything would be okay and there was nothing to feel bad for, but how could he? If Hermes was in that position he would probably feel the same way as Charon.

It was eating him up inside too, his tall frame shaking as he explained to Hermes, trying to keep his composure. Hermes was not prepared for this. He expected Charon to tell him that yes- he was annoying or that he just didn’t find him amusing anymore. This… was different. It was something he didn’t know how to deal with, something far more personal and scary.

“I’m sorry. I thought-” Hermes talks, but Charon stops him.

[Should have told you sooner. You thought it was your fault. It is not] 

“I just… wish you would have told me, Charon. Maybe I could have helped.” 

[My issue. Have to deal with it myself]

“No. No it isn’t You can ask for help, Charon. You don’t have to go through this alone. Did you tell your brothers about what you saw?”

Charon shakes his head. 

As independent as Charon was, he needed to learn how to rely on people for help. This has been festering inside him for the past month and he hadn’t reached out to even talk about it, god knows he would have never mentioned it had Hermes not confronted him about it.

He doesn’t know how to soothe him. Doesn’t know how to prove to Charon that he is okay and that he doesn’t have to shut himself down for the crime he could have commited.  
He only knows, however, that Charon was mistaken.

“You’re wrong, you know.”

Charon looks at him, probably expecting Hermes to go on a spiel about how he can ask for help. Instead, he said something completely different.

“That’s not how we met.”

The taller man blinks in confusion.

“Did you forget already, boss? Before the car thing, I delivered food to your office.”

Charon breathes out of his nose softly, shaking his head. [That does not count as a meeting]

“We didn’t know each other, and then we did that day. I think that counts as a meeting. You said, the only reason we’ve had this relationship is because we met by you hitting me with your car. You’re wrong, though.”

His hands gently touch Charon’s, thumb caressing his golden rings. 

“After the accident, I delivered food to you. I would have delivered food to you every friday, on the dot, like you always do. Before the car thing, I remembered you and how I made a fool of myself the first time we met, remember? I looked up at your face and was amazed at just how tall you were, but it sounded like I was talking about your scars. Felt very embarrassed that day, that I reacted like an idiot in front of the handsome man in front of me”

Charon is listening intently, eyes wide as Hermes’ hands kept going up from Charon’s wrists to his arms, closing the gap between them.

“Maybe it would have been slower, but… well. Unless everything you did in our little dates was just due to guilt, I think we would have ended up in the same place. Charon? The dates, the kisses- did you do that because you felt guilty?”

Charon stares at him, completely entranced. He immediately shakes his head so forcefully his sunglasses were slipping off his face.

“Well. Then, If you wanted to do it, then I think we are fine, aren’t we? I think we would have ended here, no matter what.”

Charon mulled over that. He clearly thought about it, but was not completely convinced- that was fair. He had been sitting on his own guilt of the events after witnessing such an accident, and it wouldn’t be undone in just one night. It was a process to release Charon from that weight. 

“I’m sorry about what happened”

Charon presses his forehead against Hermes’ helmet, closing his eyes and leaning on him.

“I wanted to give you space because I thought that’s what you wanted. Do you… want me to leave, Charon? I’ll leave if you want. I’ll let you be, but…” He bites his lip, fingers massaging his forearms in an attempt to soothe. “Don’t think you don’t deserve my company.”

Charon’s hands rose up slowly, cradling Hermes’ face gently. That gentle touch that Hermes didn’t know he craved so much until this moment, that thing missing from his life this past month. 

[I want you to stay]

“Well, I want to stay, too.”

Charon’s lips are on his in a moment. Soft and delicate, the same way Charon is, the way his fingers cradle his cheeks feels too intimate, but Hermes melts into it. He closes his eyes, his own arms hooking behind Charon’s neck, fingers caressing soft blonde hair and massaging his scalp, dipping just under his hat. 

He tastes of nicotine, a taste Hermes didn’t know he craved so much. Only from Charon, only when it was Charon. 

They kiss until they are out of breath, but Charon wasted no time as he dove in again, this kiss just as gentle as the last. Charon tried to caress Hermes’ hair but the helmet was in the way, and his locks were damp with sweat. Hermes couldn’t stop but chuckle while they kissed, frowning at the awkwardness.

“Sorry, I was just finishing my shift here.” They separate, their cheeks both flushed and hot breathed. “I’m… a bit of a mess. It’s late, I should go”

[Stay] Charon says almost immediately.

“Don’t worry boss, I know the way home, and I have pepper spray-”

[Hermes,] he looks at him in the eye, pupils blown wide. 

Oh.

 _Oh_.

“Charon,” he whispers hot against his mouth. “Are you in a good mental place for this?”

As much as he craved Charon, he wanted to make sure the man was okay physically and mentally. 

[I am fine. Are you?]

Hermes chuckles softly. “Very much.”

Charon presses a gentle kiss on Hermes knuckles before opening the door of his apartment. He gently guides Hermes inside, closing the door behind him, shielding them from the rest of the world.

* * *

“You’ve actually kept doing the training I sent you?”

It was the next morning and Hermes stayed at Charon’s until morning, when he showered and had to borrow Charon’s clothes as he only had his sweaty work out clothes, and he wasn’t in the mood of putting them back on, but he was forced to wear his running thighs since none of Charon’s pants fit him, being way too big for him. Charon’s shirt was too big on him, forcing him to tuck most of it on his pants.

Hermes worried, remembered he had left his bicycle outside of the building when he arrived the previous night, but thankfully someone had dragged it inside to prevent theft. God bless good samaritans. 

He suggested getting breakfast, and Charon agreed, recommending a small cafeteria that was a couple of blocks from there. Hermes ordered an omelette while Charon ordered french toast. Hermes mentioned still training for the marathon when Charon explained, he was training too.

[I try. I am not good at it]

Hermes laughs, taking the collar of his shirt and pulling it so it wouldn’t fall off his shoulders. “Not that I thought you wouldn’t do it, but I didn’t expect you to keep training. And my work out plan, too!” 

Charon’s face flushes a little, and it just makes Hermes fall for him even more. He smiles, looking down at his food for a moment before he stares right back at Charon, slightly anxious.

“Hey, boss?”

Charon looks at him intently, noticing the sudden change of tone. 

“Do you want to be my boyfriend?”

Charon stops suddenly, gripping his fork and knife tight in his hands. His eyes were wide as he looked at Hermes, mouth pressed in a tight line.

[Yes] Charon signs immediately, letting his utensils drop against the plate. [Yes. Yes of course]

Hermes smiles silly, rubbing his face with his hand in a feeble attempt to contain his emotions. “We said we wanted to know each other first. I think we can know more about each other while being in a relationship, no?”

Charon nods, clearly excited, the man’s face is beet red, and Hermes reaches over from his side of the table to hold Charon’s hand.

“Okay,” he smiles devilish. “Boyfriend.”

Charon’s face breaks into a smile, and it was enough for Hermes.  
All those fears and concerns melted away at the presence of that smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;w;

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for Reading! 
> 
> [My Tumblr!](http://whatthefuckistevvs.tumblr.com/)  
> [My Twitter!](https://twitter.com/thefuckistevvs)  
> 


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